Sulphide pigment



Patented Mar. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES P EN OFFICE I.

' SULPHIDE r omcn'r lienneth S. Mowlds, Baltimore, assignor The Glidden Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation' of Ohio No Drawing. Application February 20, 1940,

Serial No. 319,890

2 Claims. (01. 134-58) 'its greatest. applicability to light colored and white sulphide pigments;

Lithopone, zinc sulphide, cadmium sulphide,

and similar sulphide pigments are frequently.

used where they come into contact with copper or copper compounds and are discolored thereby. For example, lithopone and zinc sulphide pigments are used in the wall paper industry both as pigment fillers in the body of the paper and in painting the paper with designs. However, when used in wall paper it has frequently been noticed that the pigment darkens.

' On investigation it has been found that copper salts used as preservatives in the paste applied to the paper, bleed through to the pigment with theresulting formation of black copper sulphide. This occurs even though the zinc sulphide is'relatively insoluble and even though the copper or copper compounds present are relatively insoluble. There are sufiicient ions formed in the presence of water to cause the formation of the black copper sulphide which darkens and stains the pigment.

According to the present invention the sulphide containing pigment is treated with a salt capable of producing anions in the presence of a water, which .will react with copper ions present to produce a white copper salt. Preferably,

the copper salt formed should be relatively in-,

soluble. If the copper salt formed is relatively soluble, it will, in the continued presence of water, in turn yield copper ions which will react with sulphide ions to produce copper sulphide,

although if the use to which the pigment is put others which will yield anions in the. presence of water which react with copper ions to produce a white or neutral colored copper salt or a copper salt of a color which blends with'the pigment being treated without discoloring same. Any of these salts may be used. Sodium thiocyanate is relativelycheap and produces excellent results. Also sodium and calcium cyanamide are com mercially available in relatively large quantities and may be used with good results. The sodium, potassium, calcium, and barium salts will ordi- 5 narily be used, although the invention is by no means limited thereto. As previously pointed out thesalt should be one which will yield the anions in the presence of water in suflicient quantity to react with the copper ions-with which the pigment comes in contact. In many instances it is preferred to use awater soluble salt as the treating agent; However, in caseswhere the pigment frequently comes into contact with water and the concentration of copper ions is relatively low, a water insoluble treating salt may be preferred.

The treating salts may be incorporated with the pigment in a variety of ways. They may be added dry and thoroughly mixed or they may be dissolved or dispersed in water and mixed with the pigment slurry, or added dry to the pigment slurry. For the sake of convenience and to'insure uniform distribution I prefer to add them. to the Wet pigment slurry justbeforedrying. The pigment slurry is preferably thick so. that where a water soluble treating salt is used, as little as possible is lost on filtration. I Relatively small percentages are effective if even distribution over the pigment is obtained.

I'prefer to use about 1% based on the pigment content, to insure non-darkening even under very adverse conditions. I Any addition of coursegives protection; amounts as low as 0.1% give good results for most purposes, although higher percentages are needed where copper 'mold inhibiter is used in the paste onwall paper containing the pigment. Higher percentages may be used,but the cost is,increasedunnecessarily and pigment properties are diluted.

Example I staining bycopper. 55

Example II v to a thickslurrn of cadmium lithopone containing 1000 pounds of pigment. The slurry is agia g li i fi gi gg g i fig ggg fi'gz 233i: tated to insure distribution of the salt; the pi containing 1000 pounds of pigment. The slurry $312 g i g fig g fiq g u tfig' 5 is agitated to insure distribution of the salt; the s 8 us p I so 1 te. pigment 15 then filtered and dried. Other thlocyana Y Y 1 I I claim as my invention: 21:11:22? Jammie; Pigment cpmposmon of a 10 .may be replaced by a corresponding amount of gfii w and a e Soluble 10 Zmc sulphlde' Example In a i 2. A pigment composition consisting of cadmium lithopone and a water soluble thiocyanate. 5 to 10 pounds of sodium thiocyanate are added KENNETH S. MOWLDS. 

